Erlanger, Kentucky – Lovingly referred to as “The Car Barn,” Collection 21 is located just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio. Behind its doors rests a sprawling assortment of amazing vehicles—we’re talking everything from a 1903 Orient Buckboard to a 1988 Twin-Turbo Callaway Corvette (and plenty of other rare and unusual rides in between).

Though it’s a single owner’s private collection that’s not open to the public, the venue occasionally allows visitors in for showings, with proceeds typically going to the delightfully acronym’d HONK (Housing Opportunities for Northern Kentucky) non-profit organization.

So when we heard that Collection 21 was offering tours during the holidays, we jumped at the chance to visit—take a look at the photos below and you’ll see why.

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1950 crosley farm-o-road
This pint-size off-roader is a Crosley Farm-O-Road. You can learn more about Cincinnati, Ohio-based Crosley Motors here. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1938 bantam coupe
Speaking of both small and off-roaders, this diminutive coupe is from American Bantam, which many regard as the father of the Jeep. Read the full Jeep origin story here. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1958 ford skyliner with roof partially retracted
Yup, Ford had a retractable hardtop way back in the 1950s. Check out more details on the Fairlane Skyliner coupe here. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
rear tailgate view of a 1962 corvair rampside pickup truck
This is an example of the popular Corvair “Rampside” pickup. Read about its ill-fated cousin, the “Loadside,” in this article. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1961 chevy corvair station wagon
…Or if you’re into Corvairs of the wagon and more-door variety, you may appreciate this Corvair article too. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1909 hupmobile model 20 runabout
We did a double-take here, as we thought this 1909 Hupmobile was the “Leslie Special.” (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1970 Ford Mustang 428 Mach 1 Q Code Cobra Jet
While Collection 21 is primarily comprised of prewar and other vintage classics, there were a few examples of 1960s muscle on display as well. This 428-powered 1970 Mach 1 was especially stunning.(Image/OnAllCylinders)
rear view of an amc marlin fastback coupe
Hey look! It’s one of our favorite cars named after a fish. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
a pair of prewar cord coupes stack atop a lift
The collection includes a handful of Cord automobiles—an early innovator in front-wheel drive architecture. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1966 oldsmobile toronado deluxe
And since we’re on the topic of Cord and front-wheel drive, the 1966 Olds Toronado was the first domestic FWD car made after the Cord 810/812 ceased production in the late 1930s. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1856 button & co. hand pumper fire apparatus
One of the oldest vehicles in the collection is this horse-drawn fire dept. pumper wagon from 1856. You can check out more vintage fire trucks in this photo gallery as well. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1961 jeep willys fc-170 forward control stakebed truck
OK, prepare yourselves Jeep fans—we’re about to hit you with (GASP) three (!) Jeep Forward Controls… (Image/OnAllCylinders)
willys jeep fc-170 forward control
<…breathing heavily into a paper bag…> (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1961 jeep fc-150 forward control pickup truck
Obligatory. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1940 graham sedan
You can learn some history on the Graham-Paige automobile company here. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1931 lincoln limousine
This 1931 Lincoln limousine is sporting a true Brougham layout. If you’ve ever wondered what the term “Brougham” means, read this. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1958 edsel ranger hadrtop coupe
Fun Fact: Before it was ever used on a truck, Ford applied the name “Ranger” to the short-lived Edsel marque. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1956 black c1 chevy corvette
Collection 21 has a robust assortment of Corvettes, particularly from the C1 Generation. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1988 Chevy Corvette Callaway Twin Turbo C4 Convertible
Look closely—it’s a Callaway Twin-Turbo. Those are the signatures of Dave McLellan and Reeves Callaway under the hood too. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1963 studebaker champ pickup truck
Did you know Studebaker made trucks? This one in particular is a 1963 Champ. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1950 studebaker commander regal
Studebaker was just one of the orphaned marques featured prominently within The Car Barn; names like Nash, Kaiser, Packard, Peerless, and others were scattered around the halls too. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1928 peerless model 6-81 victoria opera coupe
(Image/OnAllCylinders)
1939 packard convertible coupe
(Image/OnAllCylinders)
1953 nash rambler custom convertible
(Image/OnAllCylinders)
1954 kaiser k54 sedan
You can read a brief history of the Kaiser-Frazer company here. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1954 Kaiser Darrin
Speaking of Kaiser, this is a nifty 1954 Darrin. Note how its pocket doors slide forward into the front fenders. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1929 international truck
In the back of the building is a jaw-dropping mix of vintage trucks as well; we liked this 1929 International stakebed in particular. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1923 mack a2 drump truck
This is a vintage Mack dump truck. Note the semaphore signal on the cab. Any guesses on what purpose that serves? We honestly don’t know. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
1961 chrysler 300G
Here’s a 1961 Chrysler 300G, complete with its Wedge-Head 413ci V8. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
large model train layout
Finally, if the cars aren’t enough, Collection 21 also houses a pretty sizeable O gauge model train layout too. And if that sort of thing interest you, you may dig this article: 5 Things Model Trains Teach You About Wrenching on Cars (Image/OnAllCylinders)
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Author: Paul Sakalas

Paul is the editor of OnAllCylinders. When he's not writing, you'll probably find him fixing oil leaks in a Jeep CJ-5 or roof leaks in an old Corvette ragtop. Thanks to a penchant for vintage Honda motorcycles, he spends the rest of his time fiddling with carburetors and cleaning chain lube off his left pant leg.